Travel Tips for Pattaya

I recently dished out some Travel Tips for Thailand, and so I thought about extending that into a more city specific post. I had been down to Pattaya during the Songkran Festival (and no one had told me just HOW much fun that could be !)

Here are some of my general travel tips for Pattaya:

Why Are You Going To Pattaya? That’s the first question you must answer – and if the reason is the beach or to party – then you’re in a for a BIG surprise. Pattaya does have 3 main beaches but they are quite ‘nasty’ and very commercialized. The beaches aren’t very clean and neither is the water – for a good beach you have to head out to the islands for a day trip or just head over to Phuket / Krabi / Koh Samui instead. The city is full of curb-side bars which is great if you are beer drinking or fancy drinking vodka in the middle of the afternoon – however there are very few clubs that play English music at night ! Also be warned – Pattaya is notorious for its Lady-Boys and prostitutes. I don’t recommend single girls going to Pattaya at all. The general view is lots of older men with very young Thai women all over the place !

Getting There. Once you arrive into Bangkok airport, its quite easy to get to Pattaya which is 2 hours away by road. There are metered taxis from the airport to Pattaya which ‘officially’ cost 1,050 THB, plus 60 THB for expressway charges. There are AC buses as well which are about THB 106 and can be taken from the Transport Center at the airport.

Traveling Around Pattaya. The most common form of transport in Pattaya is a ‘Songthaew’ which is a dark blue pick-up truck with two benches in the back and a cover on top. Tourists pay 10 THB per ride within the city (regardless of the distance). They are all over the city and one can easily jump on and off the trucks.

Things To Do In Pattaya:

Alcazar Cabaret. Definitely worth watching. Get ready to be dazzled by the famous Thai Lady-Boys ! The show is approximately 2 hours long and is a fully choreographed musical performance. The light effects and backdrops for each sequence is truly mind blowing; and done all so quickly !! The Alcazar Cabaret is situated on Pattaya 2nd Road, with 3 daily shows at 6:30 p.m, 8 p.m and 9:30 p.m (and complimentary soft drinks through out the show) At the end of the show if you decide to take a picture with one of the performers – they will ask for a tip – so consider yourself warned.

Foam Party at Hard Rock Cafe. This event happens every Saturday and it is super fun !! There’s a 300 THB entrance which includes one drink. The party starts at 8 p.m till 1:30 a.m. There’s a separate section for the foam party and the HRC pool is adjacent to it. Don’t forget to take your bikinis / swimming trunks !

There are lockers and towels available for a rate of about THB 200 which is refundable on return of the keys and towels.

Sanctuary of Truth. Is considered to be a work of art in progress. It’s a typical Thai structure but made out of wood, and about 105 meters in height ! It is located at 206/2 Moo5 Naklua 12 Naklua Rd. Banglamung Chonburi 20150 Thailand

Fish Spa. If you haven’t done this – then you MUST do it ! The price ranges from 80 THB to 200 THB and is broken into sessions of 15 mins, 30 mins and more. Nat and I got very lucky as we got a deal for THB 150 for an unlimited time period. Check out my experience at a fish spa.

Sriracha Tiger Zoo. One of the highlights of my trip with Nat was heading over to the Tiger Zoo – which is approximately 30 minutes outside of Pattaya. Here’s your chance to get a picture taken feeding a tiger cub; being carried by an elephant and if you are daring enough – you can even sit on a crocodile ! (yup I did that!) Make sure you carry enough cash as each photograph costs between 100 THB to 300 THB. Also make sure you that you watch all the animal shows that go on. The best way to get there would be to take a car or hire a taxi.

There you have it … that’s the general travel advice and tips I can give you for Pattaya. I hope this comes in handy for when you plan your next holiday. Don’t forget to check out my travel tips for Thailand.

If you have any other travel advice for Pattaya – please leave a comment and share it with all the neighbours on Blogosphere.